iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 1h

Just seen this from Vine House Farm’s newsletter- they’re in Lincolnshire - and it’s on the topic of Swallows leaving which I brought up the other day @lowcarbonkev.bsky.social

120

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Oh my gourd, what a lot of apples! We stumbled upon Europom at RHS Rosemoor - the sign is made from tiny apples. Nice chatting fruit, especially the Swedish pear grower which surprised me. Gourds from their veg garden 🇬🇧🌱

Apple displays - the UK section with France & Germany to left, Dutch, Swedish, Swiss and Luxembourg to right

0100

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Walk around the block and I found a couple of these. Apparently Fire Bugs and apparently we’re at the northern edge of their range. Rather lovely I thought.

A Fire Bug seen against the road surface of an Essex lane

290

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Visited Suffolk’s only island thx to Woodbridge birders & @rspb.bsky.social Greenshank, Little Stint, Curlews & Curlew Sandpiper among the #suffolkbirds A fascinating place in itself

1100

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Yesterday we visited Wild Ken Hill. A most interesting place for wildlife with incredibly poor soil which made me wonder why it was ever used for arable. Abundant insects, a fascinating insight into Beaver engineering and pigs noshing blackberries

Beaver dam with water coloured by the iron in the sandstone. It’s a 6ft drop into a ditch the other side to that’s a lot of water!

A happy pig that surprised us. I am not responsible for the “Ham bush” pun that followed

061

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Some rain has arrived so the water butts are now wet but we’ve not had much. 🚲 tour of the local road closures took me to Belchamp Walter where the local pond is now dry.

Belchamp Walter’s village pond. Dry and cracked

130

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The highly technical Colander device produced a decent result!

140

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

A cardboard box proclaims “Ta-Da” while displaying the eclipse. Seems appropriate! #eclipse

030

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I think allotment food crops are covered by the second exception here

121

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Went to the Constable 250 exhibition in Ipswich today. Great chance to see many great paintings together in one place. Not crowded so can take your time. Highly recommended

A general view of the exhibition room leading to The Haywain. A marvellous picture to look at in real life despite its familiarity

184

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Remarkable walk from Wickham St Paul this morning. Jersey Tigers in 4 different places along the way. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Jersey Tiger having settled on a hedge, the first we saw

Got a better shot of the second Jersey Tiger

060

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

This is my favourite this year, from Suffolk

020

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Visit to RHS Hyde Hall today where there were some interesting plants among the tomatoes 🌱🇬🇧

Aibika flower. About 5ft high and growing amongst the tomatoes.

Ipomea coccinea, a climber 8ft high with striking red flowers

Marigold Starfire growing at the edge of the tomato bed

120

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Nice walk around the ancient woodland of Arger Fen in Suffolk this morning. Spotted this unusual sign near some of the orchards too.

Sign: Please Slow Down Barn Owls Flying across this road

1131

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

We saw this unusual Cosmos in Paris Botanic Garden last year and have managed to grow it from seed, just started flowering (Cosmos sulphureus) 🌱🇬🇧

0151

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I should’ve mentioned this Hornet Hoverfly. In flight I had thought it was a Hornet, but realised my mistake when it landed.

010

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I got ChatGPT to read your brief and it came up with these. Not bad, might give some actual living people some inspiration perhaps

100

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Plenty of Yellowhammers as I 🚲 around villages. Thrown a bit by a road closure for the new transmission lines that I hadn’t expected. Still countryside looking good in the fresher air.

A view looking down and across the Stour valley with blue sky above

030

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Yesterday morning’s view from near Great Henny church. Not bad. Plenty of butterflies about including a Marbled White, Red Admirals, Peacocks, Gatekeepers etc

General view with a cereal crop in the foreground, a line of dark marking a tree and hedge line, and distant arable fields. Blue sky with summer cumulus clouds above

050

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Another area now planted for woodland, this time across the valley in Suffolk. As more land is removed from intensive farming, nature starts to recover.

Young trees and a signboard proclaiming a new woodland

1140

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Bimble around the garden looking for butterflies. Small Skipper and these Green-veined Whites most notable #essex @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Green- veined White butterflies mating on my Greengage tree

050

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

A white letter day! My first sighting of White-letter Hairstreaks & on the bridleway a few hundred yards from home. 2 on brambles with Peacock, Painted Lady and numerous Meadow Browns. Meantime the new woodland is dominated by poppies #Essex @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

070

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Oh perhaps that’s why this guy (on right) was called Ghost Rider. He won the Hacky Race easily beating the Tesla Truck next to him, and the Shopping Trolley (not in picture).

110

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Everything Electric Show in Cheltenham with some interesting small cars. Ford showing huge expensive cars alongside the better cheaper cars. Great bit of Hacky Racers including a motorised shopping trolley, great fun.

Hyundai Inster was getting a lot of interest and was probably our favourite car there

Geely EX2 looks promising but exact numbers and pricing not yet available

BYD Dolphin Surf quite nice too, looks a good urban car

Extraordinary little racers were great fun

000

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Rainstorm passes through and low sun appears as it clears us, spin around to see a glorious double rainbow.

040

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Morning Poppy. Really showing off 🌱🇬🇧

0132

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

This Scarce Chaser presented itself for my attention on my morning constitutional. Completely misnamed really as they are not scarce.

061

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Whilst looking for Owls this little chap landed in front of me. A Yellow-barred Longhorn according to the expert in my pocket.

Small moth with distinctive yellow bars across the wings and long antennae

010

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I took a couple of pictures on my 🚲 ride this morning. The Phacelia flowers are starting to fade a little so are a less dramatic colour in the landscape than a week ago.

A different field with poppies highlighted against the Phacelia

010

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Rose Abraham Darby flowering today. A lovely rose commemorating a man who contributed much to the industrial revolution 🌱🇬🇧

150

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

I am rather fond of Pegwell’s Longship, made a great impression on me many years ago so made a point of visiting again last year. Mind you, the proper job was a highlight in Copenhagen. Up in Suffolk, an earlier Anglo-Saxon craft is being built.

Pegwell Bay: a reconstruction of a Viking Longship

120

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Lovely walk into Suffolk. House Martins, Lesser Whitethroat bird highlights, Painted Lady & Common Blue butterflies #suffolkbirds Also Brown Hare and couple of Muntjac

Shalford Meadow: smothered in buttercups

Tall Comfrey plants growing wild at Daws Hall

060

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Fingringhoe visit today: could barely hear the Turtle Dove as Nightingales so loud 😂 A Whimbrel strolling close to Margaret’s Hide was great. Lunched in sun between heavy showers. Lovely place #essexbirding

View over the Blackwater. Cuckoos flew past as I sat eating my lunch

0250

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Hippeastrums are a terrific plant which multiply and flower year after year. Red Lion looking stunning in evening sun 🌱🇬🇧

Bright red flowers of Hippeastrum Red Lion

050

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Roger McGough poem wandering through my head today. Can’t imagine why.

010

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Morning at Abberton: Spoonbills quite active, Egrets keeping out of the cold wind. My first House Martin & Lesser Whitethroat this year. Swifts, couple of Sand Martins, Cuckoo, Reed Warbler, Sedge W in hedge by road at Billets Farm (odd!), Nightingale singing across road from car park. #essexbirding

Plaque commemorating The Dam Busters who practiced at Abberton

0100

Dave in Essex 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 @hennystdave.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Local elections: pic is what our council is responsible for, Adult Social Care, Education, & Childrens Services lead spending & responsibility. We’re voting for people to do this well. Parties of all stripes have been good & awful across the country. Vote for people who you think will do a good job